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Karma: A Principle of Radical Freedom

Karma: A Principle of Radical Freedom By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya Since the popularization of the term karma in the Western world from the 1960s to the

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, Nov 2, 2010

Karma: A Principle of Radical Freedom

By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya

"Since the popularization of the term "karma" in the Western world from the 1960s to the present day, this important metaphysical and ethical concept has, unfortunately, been understood in only the most simplistic and cursory of manners by the majority of Europeans and Americans  including by scholars, by most self-professed spiritual teachers, as well as by many common spiritual practitioners. Many followers of 'New Age' and pop spirituality have an even more speculative understanding of karma, believing that the concept of karma is somehow tied to the idea of fate or predetermination. As we will see, the concept of karma in no way represents either a "fatalistic" or a "pre-deterministic" view of the cosmos. Rather, it is a logical and ethically rooted science of activity, a metaphysics of action. Karma is, in actuality, a principle of radical personal freedom. Given the many misconceptions that abound in the modern mind concerning the nature of karma, we will analyze the metaphysical grounding of the principle of karma in accordance with the teachings of Sanatana Dharma, or The Eternal Natural Way..."